DAC Talk

[Jasonovich]

My first love was my Topping E30 budget DAC, shame it got cooked when we had a power outtage, that's another story!

Topping caught my eye lately with their DX5 II DAC, this hybred design has a lot going for it.
Topping always gave you great value but the neutral linear and transparent sound may not appeal to people who prefer warm colouration to accuracy.

If you have something to share about DACs, love to hear 🙂

View: https://youtu.be/TDgSMFbDJ2A?si=cG81We3si0RjfHss

 

[davidf]

One day I'll set up a demo day for the Chinese "DAC of the day" compared to A.N.Other DAC. I'm not saying these budget DACs don't sound good, but I'm not convinced they're the 'be all and end all' that many seem to think. Many rave about the Eversolo DACs, but from my own experience, they're 'not all that', as some would say. Completely uninvolving. I think too many relate ultra low distortion to 'transparent'. Yeah, low distortion is great, but if the DAC doesn't engage you with the music, it doesn't matter how low the distortion is.

 

[Gray]

My first love was my Topping E30 budget DAC, shame it got cooked when we had a power outtage, that's another story!

Topping caught my eye lately with their DX5 II DAC, this hybred design has a lot going for it.
Topping always gave you great value but the neutral linear and transparent sound may not appeal to people who prefer warm colouration to accuracy.

If you have something to share about DACs, love to hear 🙂

View: https://youtu.be/TDgSMFbDJ2A?si=cG81We3si0RjfHss

I like the look of that new Topping.
Reasonably priced too - great for someone that needs a DAC or headphone amp - and especially someone in need of both.

My first DAC was the original O-DAC (objective DAC) Its designer set out to prove that a good DAC does not need to be expensive.
It tops out at 96kHz, but I've never found that to be a problem.
I still use it, to feed a Topping A50S headphone amp.

ODAC Released

CAREFREE ENJOYMENT: I’ve been listening almost exclusively to the ODAC for several weeks now and I’ve been smiling a lot—not so much at the...

nwavguy.blogspot.com

 

[Jasonovich]

One day I'll set up a demo day for the Chinese "DAC of the day" compared to A.N.Other DAC. I'm not saying these budget DACs don't sound good, but I'm not convinced they're the 'be all and end all' that many seem to think. Many rave about the Eversolo DACs, but from my own experience, they're 'not all that', as some would say. Completely uninvolving. I think too many relate ultra low distortion to 'transparent'. Yeah, low distortion is great, but if the DAC doesn't engage you with the music, it doesn't matter how low the distortion is.

I think I'm going to say something you'll agree. One special component doesn't necessarily transform the sound.

It isn't only about the DAC, it's holistic.
The signature is etched onto the canvas, once you match it up with the right speakers and amp and this means nothing if you don't feed it with a quality source. Dealerships are best place to go for mixing and matching 😊
You hear a lot of DACs and your feedback adds great value to the forums but I do think the Chinese make some excellent HiFi.
Not a bad thing, competition is always good.